Suaimhneas: Living Goddess

“When you learn a little, you feel you know a lot. But when you learn a lot, you realize you know very little.”

Jay Shetty

I am almost finished listening to Jay Shetty’s audio book “Think Like a Monk.” I’m enjoying the book very much, but it’s a lot to unpack in a single read, so I’m already starting to go back and take a deeper look. This morning I took a test which helped me to determine that my Dharma personality type is the Guide.

Guide

Visit Jay Shetty’s website for more details, but being a Guide means I’m drawn to learning and sharing knowledge. Guides are often teachers, coaches, mentors, and writers. They strive to bring out the best in people to help them discover meaning, fulfillment and purpose. They enjoy alone-time to reflect and learn. Guides value knowledge and wisdom more than objects and status including fame, power, money, and security. They have fun reading, debating, and discussing ideas, philosophies, and solutions.

Guides are passionate learners and will deeply reflect on things. They like to share their knowledge and genuinely want to help others improve their lives. They communicate with inspiration, expressing observations without judging. 

Before I took the test I briefly looked over the roles and there were two others that I thought might be my Dharma. But, after seeing how many of my answers fit in with the Guide and reading the deeper explanation, it is now very clear that yes, I have always been the Guide!

I do tend to think very deeply. It’s not unusual for me to think on something for months and even years before I ever share my thoughts with anyone else. I’ve always believed this had to do with me being a Gemini, because I can see a situation from multiple unique points of view, and I like to ponder all of them before making a decision or reaching a conclusion. But, my mind works very quickly, so I’m able to have conversations and provide input in a timely manner. Although sometimes it can feel like I’m saying two or three different things because maybe I am! If I haven’t decided which option is the best one I will throw out all of them with the hope that standing them side-by-side with another person’s input will bring further clarity.

The result can be distracting, for me because my mind is always full and busy, and for others who don’t understand that I’m just spitballing and haven’t made any decision yet. Sometimes people think I’m judging them or passing judgement on an issue, when that isn’t my intention at all. Some people view me as a bit of a “know-it-all” type of character and are quick to cut me off and shut me down because I think they think I’m judgemental and closed-minded. Yes, I do tend to give advice, to want to help fix things, to help people find their answers and reach their full potential. I think if I did a few simple things more consistently, I would have better conversations with family and friends who tend to tune me out while I verbally process things and I would actually guide more people, which is my dharma.

Growth Opportunities

• Begin the conversation by acknowledging you don’t know the answer, but you would be happy to spitball some possibilities if they think it would help them to think it through and find what works best for them.
• Slow down. Your thoughts come quickly, but you don’t need to spit out the words just as quickly. Allow everyone time to process instead of having verbal diahhrea.
• Use words that clearly indicate you are not telling anyone what to do.
• Be present in the moment and allow space for others to speak, give them your full attention and then re-phrase what they’ve said to improve clarity.

Guiding Myself

Before I even understood my dharma is to guide, I had developed the concept for this blog as a place where I intend to have a daily conversation with myself, seeking my own guidance, as I figure out my best life and develop practices that fill me up. If this blog is very much just for me, then why even share it or publish or use this format at all? Why not just journal in private? Because I think there are other people who are on similar journeys and if even one of those people finds me and figures something out for themselves while I figure things out for myself, then that will be the gravy on top of this year of mashed potatoes. Why do all the work in a vacuum if doing it out in the open has the potential of helping others?

I’ll guide me, and maybe you’ll find some guided inspiration. Happy New Year! Let the games begin!